Horizon League reviewing Cleveland State assistant's cheat tweet

Horizon League officials are looking into a Twitter comment by a Cleveland State assistant coach that criticized the officiating in the team's loss at Kentucky on Monday night.

"College basketball is at all time low," assistant coach Jermaine Kimbrough tweeted after UK's 68-61 victory. "I have never been cheated the way we got cheated in Rupp Arena tonight. Let the kids play."

Bill Potter, an assistant commissioner for content, new media and research, said in an email that the Horizon League was "aware of Jermaine's comments on Twitter." The league was reviewing the tweet, he said.

Cleveland State spokesman Greg Murphy said in an email, "The department is aware of the tweets. We are reviewing the matter and won't have any further comment at this time."

Premium content for only $0.99

Before the game, Cleveland State Coach Gary Waters voiced his displeasure with college basketball's move this season to call more fouls in hopes of reducing the physical nature of games and therefore increase scoring.

Cleveland State ranked No. 272 in fewest fouls per game (24.8). Referees in Rupp Arena Monday night called 28 fouls on the Vikings. UK made 27 of 35 free throws. Cleveland State, which had two more field goals, made 14 of 15 free throws.

Kentucky trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, and could have been even further behind except for free throws. In the game's first 15 minutes, UK made 13 of 19 free throws, while Cleveland State was 1-for-2 from the line.

Kimbrough's tweet echoed comments made before and after the game by Waters.

"I don't want to get into that because it's disappointing," Waters said when asked in the post-game news conference about the difference in free throws. "It's really disappointing, and it's hurting the game of basketball. When you get all these fouls and all these calls, I don't think it's good for fans. I really don't. I think the game is stopped — impeded — we go in spurts.

"And I even think this: What I struggle with is, if you want to win a game, why don't you tell your guys to put their head down and drive? To me, that ain't basketball. Basketball is passing, cutting, shooting — doing things. What we're talking about is just put your head down and drive and blow the whistle. I hope that happens at our house, because if it does, we're going to be OK."